Pullet carpet shells regularly wash ashore along Dutch beaches. They are more or less rectangular in shape with a far off-centered hinge. You see obvious growth rings. Fossil specimen are darker and often date back to the Eemian, around 100,000 years old. There are several species of pullet carpet shells, which are not always easy to tell apart. These shellfish are very tasty. They are cultivated in Italy for consumption and known under the name 'vongole'.